Michigan urban school districts get most stimulus help





Detroit city schools already have been granted more than $152 million in stimulus funds through Title I dollars aimed at helping educate low-income children and in technology grants. That translates to more than $1,700 per student, according to a review by The Associated Press.

Utica, a large suburban district in southeast Michigan, gets about $63 per student in similar grants while the Detroit suburb of Farmington receives about $51.

Flint is getting $957 per student while suburban Grand Blanc gets $43. The Kalamazoo school district is collecting $258 per student in direct stimulus grants while neighboring Portage gets $51.

Grand Rapids gets $587 per student, while only $149 per pupil goes to nearby Wyoming — which suffers some of the same economic woes as its larger, inner city neighbor. Wyoming lost more than 200 students this summer after a nearby General Motors Corp. stamping plant closed. Saddled with a $3 million deficit, the district plans to lay off about 20 teachers and administrators in late January.

"Think of the reductions we'd be making without the stimulus money," said Jon Felske, superintendent for Wyoming and Godwin Heights schools. "During these difficult times, any new money is welcome."

The discrepancy in funding is by design. Much of the money dished out by the Recovery Act, particularly for schools, is distributed by formulas weighted in favor of poorer areas that need the most help.

Title I money is distributed to districts that have high counts of "at risk" students — generally those from high unemployment, low-income areas with a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch programs. The money is supposed to go to programs to assist those students.

Wealthier districts get little or no Title I cash because they don't have as many economically disadvantaged students.

"I don't think districts that typically don't get much Title I begrudge those that do," said Don Wotruba, who handles government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards.

"Title I money goes to a group of kids that really need the extra assistance because they bring a whole different set of dynamics and problems that aren't necessarily education-related to a school district. They get extra funding to try and cope with that issue," he added.

The stimulus aid sent directly to schools comes in addition to about $450 million in budget stabilization money that the Recovery Act provided to Michigan for education. The federal dollars saved schools from a $280-per-student decrease this school year on top of the $165 cut from funding for each student.

Michigan schools are getting Recovery Act money for special education, school lunch program equipment and other programs. Much of that money flows through intermediate school districts and must be spent on specific equipment or in targeted educational areas. It's also one-time money, meaning it won't provide a long-lasting financial resource for educators.

Stimulus aid sent directly to school districts won't be nearly enough to offset the reduced state assistance in most places.

Midland schools, which get $70 per student in direct aid from the stimulus, plans to lay off five teachers this winter because of the state budget cuts.

Traverse City, one of the largest school districts in the northern Lower Peninsula, is getting about $75 per student in direct stimulus aid. Marquette, one of the larger districts in the Upper Peninsula, gets $73 per student in direct stimulus help.

Some of those districts have healthy fund balances, built-up savings that can be tapped in case of budget emergencies. Many urban districts, including Detroit, are operating at a deficit or have very low reserves.

Michigan schools lost $165 per pupil when Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed this fiscal year's budget bills in October, a reduction of more than 2 percent from the minimum $7,316 per student allocation schools received last year. Another tentative cut of $127 per student has been delayed until after state economists get together to forecast tax revenues in January.

Those cuts affect all of Michigan's 551 public school districts and 233 public school academies. In addition, Granholm vetoed nearly $52 million that goes to 39 of the state's higher funded school districts.